Bike Anatomy

This is simply awesome!

Malaysia's favourite breakfast

Nasi Lemak is Malaysians' favourite food for breakfast.The rice which is cooked with coconut milk and pandan. Eat with fried anchovies and peanuts. Sambal (thick chili sauce), cucumber and eggs complete this famous national dish.

According to Star Online, 1 serving of Nasi Lemak is 644 calories. Add another 290 calories for a fried chicken. Meanwhile, 1 piece of Roti Canai (or Prata) + dhal gives you 360 calories. While Roti Telur is 414 calories. Teh Tarik is 83 calories and 2 half-boiled eggs & plain Roti gives you 227 calories.

There you go people! Malaysian cyclist whether they are riding or not still favour these dishes despite high calories over some 'mat salleh' food for breakfast. No wonder, it is hard to lose weight even on bike tour!

Which drink is better?

What drink is best for getting and staying hydrated during exercise? Should you choose water? Are sports drinks best? What about juice or carbonated soft drinks? Coffee or tea? Beer?

Water

The natural choice for hydration is water. It hydrates better than any other liquid, both before and during exercise. Water tends to be less expensive and more available than any other drink. You need to drink 4-6 ounces of water for every 15-20 minutes of exercise. That can add up to a lot of water! While some people prefer the taste of water over other drinks, most people find it relatively bland and will stop drinking water before becoming fully hydrated. Water is the best, but it only helps you if you drink it.

Sports Drinks

Sports drinks don't hydrate better than water, but you are more likely to drink larger volumes, which leads to better hydration. The typical sweet-tart taste combination doesn't quench thirst, so you will keep drinking a sports drink long after water has lost its appeal. An attractive array of colors and flavors are available. You can get a carbohydrate boost from sports drinks, in addition to electrolytes which may be lost from perspiration, but these drinks tend to offer lower calories than juice or soft drinks.

Juice

Juice may be nutritious, but it isn't the best choice for hydration. The fructose, or fruit sugar, reduces the rate of water absorption so cells don't get hydrated very quickly. Juice is a food in its own right and it's uncommon for a person to drink sufficient quantities to keep hydrated. Juice has carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes, but it isn't a great thirst quencher.

Carbonated Soft Drinks

When you get right down to it, the colas and uncolas of the world aren't good for the body. The acids used to carbonate and flavor these beverages will damage your teeth and may even weaken your bones. Soft drinks are devoid of any real nutritional content. Even so, they taste great! You are more likely to drink what you like, so if you love soft drinks then they might be a good way to hydrate. The carbohydrates will slow your absorption of water, but they will also provide a quick energy boost. In the long run, they aren't good for you, but if hydration is your goal, soft drinks aren't a bad choice. Avoid drinks with lots of sugar or caffeine, which will lessen the speed or degree of hydration.

Coffee and Tea

Coffee and tea can sabotage hydration. Both drinks act as diuretics, meaning they cause your kidneys to pull more water out of your bloodstream even as the digestive system is pulling water into your body. It's a two-steps-forward-one-step-back scenario. If you add milk or sugar, then you reduce the rate of water absorption even further. The bottom line? Save the latte for later.

Alcoholic Beverages

A beer might be great after the game, as long as you were the spectator and not the athlete. Alcohol dehydrates your body. Alcoholic beverages are better for hydration than, say, seawater, but that's about it.

The bottom line: Drink water for maximum hydration, but feel free to mix things up a bit to cater to your personal taste. You will drink more of what you like. In the end, the quantity of liquid is the biggest factor for getting and staying hydrated.

Source: about.com/chemistry / photo from beginning nutrition

Reliable tires

SCHWALBE MARATHON, the name itself is simply legendary in the bicycle touring world!
It is made for extreme bicycle touring and is favourite among touring cyclist around the world.
You can use it for both on or off road expedition. The tire is really fast.
I have them fixed to my folding & last touring bike..until now (touch wood) it has not puncture.
So, invest in good tires like Schwalbe that use anti-puncture compound or layers. They really works.
It may be a bit expensive but it worth it because changing tires during cycling ride is very troublesome especially when you are fully loaded.

Instant Carb

I do carry some bars & gels on bike tour FOR EMERGENCY use.

Why? because they can give instant carbs when in urgent need in a small & easy size to carry. 

Yes, they are expensive and tastes funny, so it is optional.
Usually I don't even use them in a tour.

So don't worry, you DON'T have to carry them if you don't want to.

What to eat on bike tour?

I love to eat. When people ask me what to eat for bike tour? I would say, eat more carb before start riding, eat simple carb during cycling and eat carb & protein after ride. Easy rite?

As a Malaysian, I'd eat anything local, but I'd try to skip Nasi Lemak before ride, not because it is not 'sporty' enough for cyclist but because of the sambal that might  hurt my stomach. I'd opt for Roti Canai and Teh Halia instead. And sometimes, I'd eat Bee Hoon Goreng or Mee Goreng, if they are available.

And what if you are overly conscious about your calories intake? Then skip Nasi Lemak or Roti Canai, just eat 2 half-boiled egg & plain bread. Hmmm Boring........

During ride, eat simple carbs like sweets, cakes, bread etc. I used to carry biscuits, nuts, raisins or dates for bike tour. Or simply eat bananas which is easy to digest.

After ride, I usually eat Nasi Campur because I love Rice and I need those carbs, and add up with Fish or Chicken for the Protein we need for muscle recovery. And don't forget the junk food like crackers, potato chips, chocolates too.

So, don't worry too much about what to eat. Just enjoy the tour & the food! Bicycle touring will burn out those calories when you ride slow as we usually do, so eat up!

How and When to Hydrate

Sipping fluids before and after a hot weather workout is just as important as drinking during a ride. Here we turn to the experts for the when, how and what of staying quenched.

Time it right Hydrating before pedaling helps you avoid drying out on the road. For best absorption, sip 12 to 16 ounces of water four hours before hopping onto your bike; two hours before, sip another 12 ounces. While riding, drink enough to match the intensity of the exercise, the heat of the day and your body's needs—the average recommendation is one 16-ounce bottle per hour in cool weather, up to as many as four bottles per hour in extremely hot weather, based on a 150-pound cyclist. Afterward, your goal is to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. If the ride was easy or moderate, sipping water and having a small meal within an hour of finishing should be sufficient, but if the ride was long and intense, use the weighing method below to determine your drinking regimen.

Customize People sweat at different rates, and rides vary in terrain, speed and distance, but hydration goals are the same regardless. "Your aim is to minimize fluid and electrolyte loss or gain," says Douglas Casa, Ph.D., the director of athletic training education at the University of Connecticut, at Storrs. The best way to learn your individual sweat rate: Step on the scale before and after a long or hard ride. If you weigh less afterward, you should be drinking a bit more; if you weigh more, you should cut back to avoid overhydration.

Keep it simple "On easier rides, stick with water. You'll get the mother lode of electrolytes, calories and fluids from the meals and fluids you consume prior to, and after, your ride," says Casa, who's been researching hydration and exercise issues for more than a decade. When a ride is intense, pushes past an hour, or is in hot weather, consider a sports drink. "I recommend staying away from the stuff with 9,000 ingredients," says Casa. "You just need the essentials—fluid, carbohydrates and electrolytes."

Try and try again The only way to find what drinks work for you is by testing them. "Some products may not taste good to you, while others may sit in your stomach in a bad way," says Casa. If you're the type of salty sweater who finds white streaks on your jersey after a ride, you may need a drink with more sodium. For extreme salt sweaters, Casa suggests adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt to 16 ounces of sports drink (that's 600mg of sodium). If you find that a sports drink upsets your stomach, try diluting it with water. "Just never start a big event with a new product in your bottle," says Casa. "That's a recipe for disaster."

Source: Bicycle.com